Administration’s management agenda comes into view

The Trump administration, as it promised, ended the 90-day hiring freeze (a few days short of 90). Simultaneously, it launched an ambitious plan to re-do the executive branch bureaucracy top to bottom.

The Office of Management and Budget issued 14-pages of detailed guidance to agencies for reducing their workforces and but overhauling performance management. Human capital plans are due into OMB on June 30. The guidance also instructs agencies on preparing reform plans, including ways to cut costs and consolidate. Those plans are due Sept. 30.

High-level appointees listened to career executives about agency IT issues. Two White House strategy officials — Chris Liddel and Matt Lira — held a series of half-hour sessions to ask chief information officers about their challenges, such as for modernization and shared services. The White House seeks deeper info than summaries left by the previous administration.

President Donald Trump nominated individuals to crucial jobs for his Office of Management and Budget. He named Neomi Rao, an associate professor at George Mason University, for administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. She served as OIRA counsel during part of the George W. Bush administration. Trump nominated Russell Vought to be OMB deputy director. He’s a former Republican Hill staffer, now at Heritage Action for America.

The week started with the Supreme Court having a full roster, after the Senate changed its filibuster rule and proceeded to confirm President Trump’s first court nominee, Neil Gorsuch. For its probe into alleged presidential election interference by Russia, the House Intelligence Committee turned to Republican Mike Conaway for leadership after committee chairman Devin Nunes recused himself.

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